Chapter 332: Seeking the Artifact, Embracing the Exciting Journey

The energy great blade tore the silence of the universe, and Xingji Xiake, like a raging male lion, roared as it charged toward the enemy ship.

The dense energy cannon fire poured down like a storm, but Xingji Xiake deftly evaded it.

The great blade in his hand swung into a light curtain, slicing all incoming missiles to pieces.

Guangming Shizhe followed closely, the gentle light gathering in her hand to form an indestructible Energy Shield, protecting the teammates behind her.

The battle was unusually fierce, and the number of enemy ships far exceeded their expectations.

Zhang Cheng calmly commanded everyone, like a strategist‑general, bringing each crew member's abilities to the utmost.

Xingyun Zhizhe operated various instruments inside the ship, disrupting the enemy's communications and radar systems.

After a round of fierce fighting, the pirates' assault gradually weakened.

Just when everyone thought victory was in sight, the Black Shark's flagship suddenly appeared, its overwhelming fire suppression catching them off guard.

"Damn! It's the Black Shark's 'Ghost'!" Xingji Xiake snarled.

The Ghost's main cannon finished charging, and a destructive energy beam shot straight toward them…

In the split second of life and death, Xingling xue zhe activated the ship's emergency jump device, and the ship vanished instantly, evading the fatal strike.

After narrowly escaping death, everyone finally got a brief moment to catch their breath.

However, the mission to find the artifact still weighed on their minds.

The vast, boundless universe made them like a single grain in the sea, tiny and helpless.

The immense pressure made everyone feel overwhelmingly oppressed.

"Can we… really find the artifact?" Guangming Shizhe whispered, her tone full of bewilderment.

Zhang Cheng patted her shoulder and said firmly, "We will definitely succeed! To protect our home, we must find it!"

During the long interstellar voyage, Xingling xue zhe and the alien scientist Karl disagreed over the analysis of the artifact's possible location.

Xingling xue zhe, based on ancient star maps and prophecies, believed the artifact was hidden near an ancient star cluster that contained massive cosmic energy.

Karl, however, based on scientific logic and data analysis, thought the artifact should be in an abandoned interstellar base that was once a research hub of a highly advanced civilization.

"Dr. Karl, your analysis makes sense, but those ancient prophecies cannot be ignored," Xingling xue zhe tried to persuade Karl.

"Prophecies? They're baseless fantasies!" Karl retorted disdainfully, "Only scientific data is reliable!"

The two each held their ground, unable to settle the dispute.

Seeing this, Zhang Cheng could only mediate, "Both of you, now is not the time for arguing; we must unite to find the artifact."

At that moment, mechanic A li stepped out of the equipment room, holding a metal fragment that flickered with strange light, and said gravely, "Captain, you'd better come see this…"

Zhang Cheng took the metal fragment from A li; it was ice‑cold, its surface etched with strange symbols that glowed with an eerie blue light.

Xingling xue zhe stepped forward to examine, exclaiming, "These are… ancient star‑race script! This passage records a navigation log!" He quickly deciphered it, his complexion changing abruptly: "The log mentions the artifact's hiding place… a small asteroid belt called 'Lost Star Region'!"

"Lost Star Region?" Karl frowned; there was no information about such a region in his database. "That's impossible! My star maps have no record of this place!"

Xingling xue zhe pointed to a blank spot on the star map and said, "Right here! This area lacks map data, so you can't find it. The ancient star‑race called it 'Lost Star Region,' said to be full of danger and the unknown." The new clue rekindled hope, and Zhang Cheng decisively ordered, "Head to the Lost Star Region immediately!"

The ship's jump engine ignited, cutting through the dark universe as it raced toward the unknown region.

However, fate seemed ever to toy with people.

Approaching the Lost Star Region, an alarm suddenly blared, its shrill sound shattering the ship's quiet.

"Report! A large number of unidentified flying objects are approaching!"

"It's space pirates!" Xingji Xiake instantly recognized those snarling warships, "The Black Shark's minions have even chased us here!"

"Looks like they're coming after us!" Mark said gravely, "Prepare for battle!"

The dense energy cannon fire sliced the void, raining down like a meteor shower.

Xingji Xiake and Mark piloted the ship deftly, evading while launching a counterattack.

Laser cannons, missiles, electromagnetic pulses…

These weapons took turns, speckling the black void as if it were daylight.

The pirates' warships were countless, pursuing like hungry wolves, constantly shifting formations to try to encircle the ship.

"Their firepower is too fierce!" Mark maneuvered the ship, struggling to dodge enemy attacks, sweat beading on his forehead.

"We can't keep going like this; we'll be worn out!" Xingji Xiake clenched his teeth, a flash of resolve in his eyes.

Suddenly, the psychic Li li stepped to the console, her slender fingers lightly touching the control panel, a mysterious smile curling her lips…

"Let me try."

Li li's delicate fingers danced across the panel, as if playing a beautiful melody.

An invisible energy ripple spread from her fingertips, silently infiltrating the pirates' navigation systems.

The previously precise fire instantly became chaotic, firing wildly like headless flies.

Xingji Xiake and Mark seized the chance, launching a fierce counterattack; laser cannons and missiles poured down like a downpour, blowing pirate warships to pieces.

The Black Shark's minions instantly fell into disarray, their fierce assault collapsing, scattering like stray dogs.

Shedding the pirates' pursuit, the ship smoothly entered the Lost Star Region.

As the Xingling xue zhe had said, the place was indeed filled with danger and the unknown.

The dense asteroids formed a labyrinthine maze, strange energy fluctuations interweaving in the starry sky; a single misstep could mean shipwreck and death.

The Xingling xue zhe and Xingyun Zhizhe worked closely, relying on ancient star maps and advanced detection gear, threading cautiously through the asteroid belt.

Finally, they discovered a hidden ancient ruin inside a massive asteroid.

The ruin's entrance was concealed by an energy barrier, exuding an ancient, mysterious aura.

Xingyun Zhizhe analyzed the barrier's composition, finding it to be an extremely complex energy structure that required a specific energy frequency to open.

"It seems we need to find the key to unlock this barrier," Xingyun Zhizhe mused.

The Xingling xue zhe examined the ruin's entrance runes closely; suddenly his eyes lit up, pointing at one rune, "I think I know! This rune… is very similar to a symbol on the interstellar compass!" He immediately pulled out the interstellar compass, aligning its symbol with the ruin's rune.

A flash of dazzling light passed, the energy barrier slowly dissipated, revealing a passage into the ruin's interior.

"Looks like our luck is good." Zhang Cheng took a deep breath and stepped into the passage first.

The passage was pitch black; you couldn't see your hand when you stretched it out.

Zhang Cheng switched on the searchlight in his hand, illuminating the road ahead.

The walls on both sides of the passage were covered with strange runes that flickered with a faint blue light.

The air was filled with an ancient and mysterious aura, causing an inexplicable feeling of oppression.

"Be careful, everything here is full of unknown dangers," Zhang Cheng warned.

The Envoy of Light followed closely behind Zhang Cheng, who cautiously cleared the way ahead for her……

Suddenly, a faint tremor came from the ground ahead.

The ground trembled more and more violently, and the runes' light on the passage walls flickered unstably, as if they might go out at any moment.

"Oh no!" the Spirit Scholar exclaimed, "This is some kind of ancient defense mechanism! Retreat!" Before his words faded, the walls on both sides of the passage suddenly cracked open, and countless sharp metal spikes shot out like bamboo shoots after rain, attacking everyone.

Zhang Cheng grabbed the Envoy of Light, pulling her behind him, and at the same time swung his energy sword, cutting down all the incoming spikes.

The Starry Space Hero and Ma Ke also reacted quickly, each employing their ultimate techniques to block the metal spikes' attacks.

The psychic Lily then released a powerful psychic shockwave, shattering the nearby spikes.

The fierce battle lasted several minutes, with everyone working together to finally resolve the crisis.

"Looks like the guardian of this ruin doesn't welcome us," the Starry Space Hero said, wiping sweat from his forehead, still feeling uneasy.

"We must be more careful," Zhang Cheng said with a solemn expression, continuing to lead the way forward.

At the end of the passage was a spacious hall.

In the center of the hall floated a huge crystal ball, emitting a soft glow.

Beneath the crystal ball was a complex mechanical device, its surface covered with various strange symbols.

Xingyun Zhizhe stepped forward immediately to examine it closely, discovering that it was an ancient star-map projector.

"If I'm not mistaken, this should be the clue to the artifact!" he said excitedly.

Xingyun Zhizhe activated the device; the crystal ball blazed with light, and a brilliant beam shot up to the hall's ceiling, forming a huge star map.

On the star map, countless stars twinkled, deep and mysterious like the vast universe.

The Spirit Scholar carefully examined the markings on the star map, and finally his gaze locked onto a specific star system.

"Here it is!" he pointed to a bright spot on the star map, speaking excitedly, "The artifact is in this star system!"

Everyone was thrilled; they had finally found the clue to the artifact.

Zhang Cheng looked at the star map, a glint of determination flashing in his eyes……

"Get ready to depart!"